Printz Honor recipient A.S. King (The Dust of 100 Dogs; Please Ignore Vera Dietz) has a singular talent for shining bright light into the dark corners of teenage life.
The somewhat ironically named Lucky Linderman, surrounded by adults too buried in their own troubles to see how much pain--both physical and emotional--he is in, has endured years of bullying by one of his town's favored sons. In his dreams, Lucky escapes the torture of his own life to search the Vietnamese jungle for his MIA grandfather. Balancing an absolute refusal to pull punches, King's inspired use of magical realism adds occasional bursts of light and levity to an otherwise dark story. The result is a timely and engaging meditation on courage and self-respect.
This book is a lifeline for any teen who has suffered bullying, in school or out of it, and a must-read for families, teachers and librarians. --Jenn Northington, events manager at WORD bookstore